Discharging device for a movable holder

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device provided with a movable holder and means for making this holder discharge, retaining means being present for delaying the discharge of the holder, in such a way, that deviations in the location of the objects discharged by the holder, which deviations might have been caused by velocity differences of the holder, are compensated.

United States Patent [191 Mosterd Aug. 28, 1973 DISCHARGING DEVICE FOR A MOVABLE HOLDER [76] Inventor: Jacob H. Mosterd, Stationsweg 117,

Barneveld, Netherlands [22] Filed: June 25, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 156,835

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Aug. 12, 1970 Netherlands 7011935 1 [52] US. Cl. 214/60, 198/179 [51] Int. Cl. B65g 47/38 [58] Field of Search 214/59, 60, 58; 198/179, 180

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,055,480 9/1962 Hyman 198/l80X 3,528,572 9/1970 Mosterd 198/179 X Primary Examiner-Robert G. Sheridan Attorney-Roberts B. Larson Marvin Petry et a].

[5 7] ABSTRACT The invention relates to a device provided with a movable holder and means for making this holder discharge, retaining means being present for delaying the discharge of the holder, in such a way, that deviations in the location of the objects discharged by the holder, which deviations might have been caused by velocity differences of the holder, are compensated.

5 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented Aug. 28, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet .L

INVENTOR- JACOB H. MOSTERD $290?) 3 7/9ah a;

- ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 28, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

4 m n m I u a u l I I u 1 1 I I u I I u 0 n v FIGY4v DISCHARGING DEVICE FOR A MOVABLE HOLDER The invention relates to a device for discharging a holder, provided with a guide for guiding the holder along a predetermined path and a discharge abutment for making the holder discharge, said holder being provided with a discharge member and being able to take two positions, namely a first position, the holding position, in which the holder can contain an object and a second position, the discharging position, in which the holder releases an object present therein, said holder having at least one movable member, which when moving from the holding position to the discharging position, carries out a movement along a predetermined path of movement. Such devices provided with a selfdischarging holder, discharging after a discharge member of the holder has hit a discharge abutment are relatively wide generally known.

It has appeared, that with such holders, when being used for discharging objects at a predetermined location, sometimes disturbances occur. This expresses itself e.g., because an object appears not to have been discharged at the right location, which can lead to it that it either does not arrive in the right way at a package or it is damaged or it breaks, such as particularly may be the case with eggs, but e.g. also with damageable fruit. I

Further searches have elicited the fact the said distur bances occur in a rather considerable degree at the mo ment, at which the machine is subjected to a change in the velocity, especially either starting after a standstill or stopping from full movement.

The invention provides a simple solution, with which discharging objects at the incorrect location, particularly when the velocity of the holder is changed, is counteracted or decreased to a very considerable degree. For this purpose the invention provides in that a retaining member is present in'the path of movement of the movable member of the holder, when the holder is present at that location along the guide, where the discharge abutment co-operates with the discharge member of the holder to make the latter discharge.

It has appeared namely that, when a discharge member of the holder has co-operated with the discharge abutment at the moment at which the machine is stopped, thefurther time given to thedischarge movement, moves the holder' less than normally, so that the object can not reach the correct discharge location in time. Moreover the fact plays a part herewith, that the object, when leaving the holder, almost always covers a small vertical distance, with which it also has a horizontal component of motionrwhen said horizontalcomponent of motion now is very small, because the machine was stopping, oreven is zero, when the machine stopped already, by this a deviation also takes tact with the retaining member only takes place at a low velocity of the machine. The advantage hereof is, that, when the machine runs normally, less wear and a more shock free working are obtained. The above mentioned aims are obtained according to a further elaboration of the invention, because driving means for moving the holder along the path are present, said means being adapted to move the holder with a predetermined velocity; that the holder is provided with spring means to move the said movable member when changing from the holding position to the discharging position, said spring means being dimensioned in such a way, and the location and length of the retaining member being chosen in such a way, that the movable member moves closely along the retaining member without touching it, when the holder is moved along the guide with the said predetermined velocity.

An embodiment with which in practice also for a long 'time a faultless working was obtained, consists in that the direction of movement of the member when changing from the holding position to the discharging position is contrary to the direction of movement of the holder along the guide and in that the retaining member has pivotably been mounted, in such a way that it can be pivoted away by the movable member when said member is in the position in which the holder is in the holding position, the retaining member being biassed to take, after pivoting away, again the position in the path of movement of the movable member, when the holder moves from the holding position to the discharging position. This gives the additional advantage that, when the machine is moving slowly, after the retaining member has retained the movable member, opening the holder also takes place gradually.

Because when applying the invention the horizontal distance covered by the object with its vertical movement after having been released, remains dependent on the, velocity of motion of the holder, it is advantageous to limit the drop height of the objects discharged from the holder as much as possible. This can be obtained in a way known in itself, by freeing the holder from the guide and making it swing upwardly. An extremely simple embodiment of the invention then consists in that the movable member is provided with follower means, that are in contact with guide in the holding position of the holder. Here the movable member then also serves as a member which at first serves for guiding theholder along the guide and lateron for breaking the contact between the guide and the holder.

It hasalready been pointed out that the horizontal distance covered by the object during the'movement after the release, is dependent on the velocity of the holder. Theoretically from this still deviations originate with respect to the location where .the object is being deposited, in dependence on the velocity of the holder. In practice it appeared, however, that said deviations are extremely small. The reason is, that with the normal velocity of motion of the holder and when therewith the retaining vmember does not contact the movable member, the velocity with which the holder opens, is greater than when, at a decreased velocity of the holder, at first the movement'of the movable member is retained and after that has to get started again. This efi'ect compensates to a considerable degree the difference in horizontal distance durint the free fall and also forms an explanation, why such good results have been obtained with the invention.

The invention is in the following further elucidated with reference to the accompanying drawings, in

which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a device according to the invention;

FIG. 1a shows a front view of part of the device according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 2 is a front view on the guide and the retaining member taken along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view, taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2 with which the holder has been shown in two different positions for elucidating the working of the invention,

FIG. 4 is a bottom view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

In the drawing by 1 a support is indicated, on which at 2 a balance arm 3 has been mounted, which by means of an axis of rotation 5 bears a holder which generally is indicated by 4. Support 1 can move perpendicularly to the plane of drawing of FIG. 1 by means of a driven member 7 such as a cable or a chain and runs in guides 6; if desired rolls (not shown) can be positioned between them to decrease the friction.

By means of a link 9, which at 10 is also hingedly connected to the holder, a parallellogram construction is obtained with which holder 4 has been attached to support 1. By means of a guide roll 13 the holder is in contact with a guide 33. Furthermore, a discahrge abutment is fixedly mounted, which discharge abutment is present in the path of a discharge member connected with the holder. Roll 13 has been mounted on a shaft 14, which is mounted in a block 12, which has fixedly been mounted on a vertical shaft 11. To block 12 a hook 15 has been attached, which engages hook 16 of discharge member 17, which can rotate about a shaft 18, which has fixedly been attached to the holder. At its lower end shaft 11 has been coupled with a swivel arm 26, which has fixedly been connected with a gripper finger 30. A gripper frame 40 bears two fixed fingers 31 and 32. Spring means 28 co-operate with arm 26 in the direction in which finger 30 is removed from fingers 31 and 32 and consequently the gripper is open.

Specifically, the lower end construction comprises a link 20 attached at one end to shaft 11 connected at its other end to on end of a link 22 which is in turn attached at its other end 23 to a link 24. Link 24 is fixed to the same shaft 25 as is the swivel arm 26. Spring 28 surrounds rod within the cylinder 36 and acts between a head 38 on the rod 35 and a lower end 37 of cylinder 36. Cylinder 36 is pivoted at 27 to link 20 and rod 35 is pivotedto the frame 40 at 29. FIG. 4 shows the gripper in the open position. In the'closed position, the link 20 would be displaced clockwise fromits FIG. 4 position. Thiswould also cause the link 24 to be turned clockwise (via link 22) whereby the swivel arm 26 and hence the finger 30 would be turned clockwise towards the fingers 31 and 32. The device is normally held in this closed position and is released when the hook 15 disengages from hook 16 because the discharge member 17 engages the abutment 34. Upon such release, the spring 28 turns the shaft 11 clockwise as viewed from above in FIG. 3 (and counterclockwise as viewed from below in FIG. 4) to separate the finger 30 from fingers 31 and 32 to thereby openthe gripper.

The construction as described till nowdoes not form part of the invention and is known per se. For elucidating the invention now in brief a summary of the working follows. When support 1 moves perpendicular to the plane of the drawing of FIG. 1, discharge member 17 will at a certain moment contact discharge abutment 34. By this discharge member 17 swings in such a way, that hooks 15 and 16 disengage. By this block 12, together with shaft 11 and via arm 26, swings finger 30, so that the gripper can open. This movement takes place under the influence of spring means (not shown).

According to the invention a retaining member 36 is provided which can freely hinge about a fixed axis 37 and has been mounted to the guide 33. Said retaining member consists ofa block 38, which rests on the guide 33 and a front plate 39, which at its left end (vide FIG. 2) has a retaining surface 40. When a roll 13 moves along guide 33 it simply can tilt up the retaining member 36 somewhat about the axis 37 and after roll 13 has passed the retaining member again falls back. When moving roll 13 along the guide, however, discharge member 17 contacts discharge abutment 34, by which block 12 with the shaft 14 and the roll 13 swings with the shaft 11. When now the velocity of motion in the direction of the arrow P (FIG. 2) of theh holder is small, the roll 13 will hit the retaining surface 40, by which opening the holder is delayed, until the holder in FIG. 2 has moved to the left so far, that the roll can move along the retaining surface 40. This latter situa tion has been indicated to the left in FIG. 3, where the relevant portions of the gripper have again been drawn, but their references have been provided with a prime.

It will be clear, that for applying the invention it is not necessary, that the movable member (here roll 13) moves in the direction contrary to that of the holder. It is as well possible to cause this movable member to move in a direction perpendicular to the guide and then use stationary retaining members mounted along the guide, which prevent movement of the member 13 until the holder has reached the position, in which it may be opened to make the object (not shown) slide away between the fingers 30, 31 and 32. g

The drawn embodiment has the important advantage that immediately after the roll 13 has been swung away under the guide 33 the arm 3, also by the release of the weight of the object, can swing upwardly, by which the drop height of the objects can be limited to a high degree.

What I claim is:

1. A device for discharging a holder comprising: a fixedly mounted guide, a holder movably mounted for moving along saidguide, a fixedly mounted discharge abutment, said holder including a discharge member mounted to cooperate with said discharge abutment, said holder further including a movable means movable from a first position, the holding position, in which the holder can contain an object, into a second position, the discharging position, in which the holder releases an object present in it, said movable means being movable along a predetermined path of movement from said first position into said second position when the discharge member cooperates with the discharge abutment, a retaining member being mounted at a predetermined location along said guide in a position in which it is in the said predetermined path of movement of said movable means when the holder is at the location along said guide where the said discahrge member cooperates with the said discharge abutment, said retaining memberpreventing the movablemeans from moving to the discharging position when said holder is at said location.

2. A device according to claim 1 including a driving means being for moving the holder along the guide, said driving means operable to move the holder with a predetermined velocity, said holder including spring means for moving said movable means when changing from the holding position to the discharging position, said spring means being so dimensioned and the location of the retaining member being such, that the said movable means moves closely along the retaining member without touching it when the holder moves with the said predetermined velocity along the guide, and the movable means engages said retaining member when the holder moves along the guide with a velocity that is lower than the said predetermined velocity.

3. A device according to claim 1, in which the direction of movement of said movable means when changing from the holding position to the discharging position is contrary to the direction of movement of the holder along the guide, the retaining member being pivotably mounted in the path of said movable means in such a way that it can be swung away be said movable means, the said retaining member being biassed to take a position in the said predetermined path of movement of the said movable means after the retaining member has been swung away from said path.

4. A device according to claim 1, in which the said movable means includes a follower means which engages the guide when the holder is in the holding position.

5. A device according to claim 1, in which the direction of movement of said movable means when changing from the holding position to the discharging position is contrary to the direction of movement of the holder along the guide, the retaining member being pivotably mounted, biassed to take a normal position in which it is in the path of movement of said movable means when the holder is in the said holding position, and provided with a surface that, when the retaining means is in the said normal position is traverse to the direction of the guide, the pivotably mounting of the retaining member allowing said member to be swung out of the path of movement of the movable means when the holder is in the holding position. 

1. A device for discharging a holder comprising: a fixedly mounted guide, a holder movably mounted for moving along said guide, a fixedly mounted discharge abutment, said holder including a discharge member mounted to cooperate with said discharge abutment, said holder further including a movable means movable from a first position, the holding position, in which the holder can contain an object, into a second position, the discharging position, in which the holder releases an object present in it, said movable means being movable along a predetermined path of movement from said first position into said second position when the discharge member cooperates with the discharge abutment, a retaining member being mounted at a predetermined location along said guide in a position in which it is in the said predetermined path of movement of said movable means when the holder is at the location along said guide where the said discahrge member cooperates with the said discharge abutment, said retaining member preventing the movable means from moving to the discharging position when said holder is at said location.
 2. A device according to claim 1 including a driving means being for moving the holder along the guide, said driving means operable to move the holder with a predetermined velocity, said holder including spring means for moving said movable means when changing from the holding position to the discharging position, said spring means being so dimensioned and the location of the retaining member being such, that the said movable means moves closely along the retaining member without touching it when the holder moves with the said predetermined velocity along the guide, and the movable means engages said retaining member when the holder moves along the guide with a velocity that is lower than the said predetermined velocity.
 3. A device according to claim 1, in which the direction of movement of said movable means when changing from the holding position to the discharging position is contrary to the direction of movement of the holder along the guide, the retaining member being pivotably mounted in the path of said movable means in such a way that it can be swung away be said movable means, the said retaining member being biassed to take a position in the said predetermined path of movement of the said movable means after the retaining member has been swung away from said path.
 4. A device according to claim 1, in which the said movable means includes a follower means which engages the guide when the holder is in the holding position.
 5. A device according to claim 1, in which the direction of movement of said movable means when changing from the holding position to the discharging position is contrary to the direction of movement of the holder along the guide, the retaining member being pivotably mounted, biassed to take a normal position in which it is in the path Of movement of said movable means when the holder is in the said holding position, and provided with a surface that, when the retaining means is in the said normal position is traverse to the direction of the guide, the pivotably mounting of the retaining member allowing said member to be swung out of the path of movement of the movable means when the holder is in the holding position. 